Upgrading to Smart array 641 controller from standard on-board SCSI

[Edd Walch]

I have a Proliant ML350 and I want to install a smart array 641 controller. It has two existiing scsi disks and I intend to add a third of the same capacity. The existing two disks are mirrored so I need to be able to configure the 2nd disk to be part of the raid array and the third disk to be redundant unless 1 or 2 fails. Is it possible to do this and retain the Win 2000 svr installation on disk 1, or will I have to format the whole lot and re-install win 2k svr?

[Steven Clementi]

You should be able to retain your windows install.

The one thing you might run into is lack of correct driver for the 641.

What I would do is...Install the 641 before swapping the cables around, make use Windows see's it properly and has a driver for it.

Then, edit your boot.ini file to reflect any changes in bus/id the new controller is going to present the LUN's on. After you edit the file (I suggest adding an entry vs. modifying the original entry), you should be able to shut down, swap the cables, reboot and reconfigure your Mirror with ACU on the new controller as well as add the 3rd drive as a hot spare.

Steven

[Edd Walch]

Thanks for the very quick reply.

I have already done as you said and booted into windows, still connected to the original SCSI controller with the raid controller installed. Windows installed drivers but I also loaded the updated ones from the HP utilities CD. I am now at the stage of booting into the smart array set util and it can see all three drives. If I escape it says this will use raid 5 and create one volume of 36gb - which is what I want, but I think it will now try to format the drives if I continue from their, so how do I get arround the configuration of the controller without formatting the drives?

[Edd Walch]

Thanks for the very quick reply.

I have already done as you said and booted into windows, still connected to the original SCSI controller with the raid controller installed. Windows installed drivers but I also loaded the updated ones from the HP utilities CD. I am now at the stage of booting into the smart array set util and it can see all three drives. If I escape it says this will use raid 5 and create one volume of 72.8gb - which is what I want, but I think it will now try to format the drives if I continue from their, so how do I get arround the configuration of the controller without formatting the drives?

[Steven Clementi]

Sometimes I wish I had a lab to simulate these situations. I know there is a migration procedure, but I have never actually performed it.

You should start out with just 2 drives and may have to migrate into a RAID1 array first, then into RAID5.

Note sure of the exact procedure.

Steven

[Edd Walch]

I have now tried to boot from the original on-board scsi controller and the two original disks but it will not. Could this be because the smart array controller utility programme has changed the boot.ini on disk 0?
If so, how can I change it back to let me edit it manually so that I can try to force the controller to see disk 0 & 1 as one continuous volume?

I still hope to retain the data on this drive.

[e4services]

I would try just one disk first, not 2. What you need to be concerned with is the 641 creating a new logical drive and wiping the old one.

[Edd Walch]

I am currently installing a new copy of 2k svr on the new disk. I want to boot from this with one of the original disks installed so I can try to edit boot.ini to see if that is the problem.

If I can get one of the old disks to boot again, I will go ahead and install 03 svr, knowing I can recover everything I need from the original disk.

Do you know if the 641 controller will boot one of the original disks or will I have to do a re-install?

[Edd Walch]

Ended up formatting all drives. All seems OK now.